Strength of Stone
by AsmodeusCain
Summary: What if Ōnoki discovered that Kyūbi attacks Konoha, and decided to take advantage of the situation and nab Naruto? What if he found out something that he did not expect, something that could give him someone that had the potential to be the greatest shinobi the world has ever seen?
1. Chapter 1

Strength of Stone

"Tsuchikage-sama, are you sure that that this is a good idea? Those tree-huggers are liable to notice the fact that the boy is missing." a hooded man asked his shorter partner as they jumped from tree branch to tree branch.

"Akatsuchi, Konoha is in disarray – they have just been attacked by the greatest of the Bijū. They won't recover easily from an attack by the Kyūbi no Kitsune. Is this not the best opportunity to take the boy? We have time – they will be too busy to trying to rebuild as quickly as possible. They cannot afford to look weak, especially with Ē. Remember, Kumogakure no Sato never demilitarized after the Third Shinobi World War – if they smell blood in the water, they will strike. It is the best moment to grab the child." answered the shorter man.

"You are right, Ōnoki-sama. Especially if what you hypothesize is true…" answered Akatsuchi as the village they were discussing neared into view.

Meanwhile, in the above-mentioned village, a man sat in his office sat with his fingers steeped and his large hat covering his eyes.

_Minato, Kushina, why did you have to die? Ugh, I am too old for this… In any case, I will need to announce Naruto's status as a Jinchūriki…_

"Sir!" a voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Ah, Kakashi-kun, good. We need to announce Naruto-kun's status as a Jinchūriki to the village. They are liable to not take it well, so I am assigning you a long-term mission. I want you to protect Naruto-kun from the shadows – we cannot do it openly lest Danzō use it as an excuse to accuse me of favoritism and try and manipulate me into not protecting the boy." Hiruzen stated.

"I understand Hokage-sama.," answered the white-haired man, "May I inquire as to why we do not simply announce that Naruto is Sensei's son? That will prevent any of the villagers from feeling any resentment toward him – they worshipped Yondaime-sama."

"A good question, Kakashi. The answer is this – firstly, Iwagakure no Sato hates Minato-kun, and if they find out that he has a son who is the Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi, they will do their best to kill the poor child. Also, Kumogakure would kill to get their hands on the son of the Konoha no Kiiroi Senkōand Akai Chishio no Habanero, especially if he is the Jinchūriki of the greatest of the Bijū. Moreover, should the villagers learn that the child is the son of Minato, they will try to spoil him, causing him to grow up to be a spoiled brat with an over-inflated sense of superiority, which is dangerous for any shinobi." answered the Shinobi no Kami.

"How do you know he is going to become a ninja, Hokage-sama?" asked the former ANBU curiously.

"Kakashi…do you honestly think that I would let the son of the Konoha no Kiiroi Senkō and the Akai Chishio no Habanero, as well as the Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi no Kitsune waste that potential on being a civilian?" asked the Hokage with a condescending look.

"I understand Hokage-sama." answered Kakashi.

Meanwhile, in an underground base, yet another old man was making plans regarding the life of the 5-day old boy.

_Hiruzen is probably making plans to announce the identity of the Kyūbi Jinchūriki, the fool. Does he not realize that the foolish civilians will not see the potential of having a Jinchūriki as a weapon? I will never realize why Tobirama-sensei chose Hiruzen as Hokage instead of me. Moreover, a shinobi should have his abilities hidden. Why that old fool would want people to KNOW what the abilities of one of his ninja are, I cannot understand. I will need to try and gain control of the Jinchūriki, but there is no legal or official means for me to do that. I will need to try and manipulate the boy, gain his trust…_

"Dajimu! Tera!" Danzō called. Two figures appeared in front of him in a kneeling position almost completely soundlessly – only a veteran shinobi would have heard them arrive.

"Hai, Danzō-sama." the two shinobi replied in unison.

"You two are being given a long-term mission. You will cease observations of Mitarashi Anko, and begin keeping tabs on Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto. You will defend him from any attacks by hostiles, but you will make certain that you are not noticed. Is that understood?" the leader of Ne ordered.

"Hai, Danzō-sama." they replied emotionlessly, before using Shunshin no Jutsu to leave the room.

_Naruto Uzumaki… you will be Konoha's…and mine…_

**Timeskip – 2 days later**

"Ōnoki-sama, do you know when we will find the boy?" Akatsuchi asked his Tsuchikage, as they sat in a restaurant under Henge no Jutsu eating Okonomiyaki.

"I have a hunch, Akatsuchi. The attack happened about seven days ago, correct? Therefore, we look through the orphanages that recently have had the greatest influxes of orphans –Sarutobi would want the boy to be unnoticed, knowing his idiotic 'Will of Fire.'" replied the Tsuchikage.

"Pardon me sir, but what does the Will of Fire have anything to do with the boy being placed in the most populated orphanage? Why wouldn't the Hokage simply adopt the child?" asked a confused Akatsuchi.

"A fair question. The Will of Fire is the belief that love, teamwork, and cooperation is the key to peace, yes? Well, here's the genius of this plan. The most populated orphanage is likely to not have very good facilities as well as not very many resources. This serves several purposes. For the first, it would provide subconscious survival training – the boy would have to try to establish himself as the Alpha immediately in order to receive the most food and attention. The second is even more ingenious. Sarutobi advocates that all shinobi of Konoha, as well as all of the civilians are all one big family. If you place one such as him with those who are unfortunate while telling him that Konoha is one big family, the boy is quite likely to grow up believing that he should try to help Konoha as much as he can, thereby creating the perfect weapon – strong and completely loyal to an idea. Knowing Konoha, they will treat the child as a "demon" and ignore and revile him. If Sarutobi implants an idea into the child's head that the Hokage is respected by all, and that he is like a father to all of the children of the village, that creates an even stronger bond between the Jinchūriki and Konoha. The attention-starved child in him will want the respect and recognition that comes with being Hokage, and the Messiah in him will want to become Hokage so that he can protect and improve the lives of his 'family.'" answered Ōnoki. Akatsuchi was quiet for a few moments, before speaking.

"That is…a genius plan. Much as I do not wish to complement him, the Sandaime Hokage is a very intelligent and cunning man." he said with admiration.

"He is not known as the Purofessā for no reason." Ōnoki replied. As the two sat and talked quietly, they noticed 2 men jumping from roof to roof. The strange thing was that they did it soundlessly – there was usually at least the tiniest thud that a well-trained shinobi like the Sandaime Tsuchikage could detect. The two men wore ANBU masks, but instead of Katana, they wore, tip less (as far as the duo could see) tantōs.

"Kyūji! We wish to pay and leave. What is the cost?" asked the Tsuchikage.

"364 ryō kokakyu-san." replied the waiter. Akatsuchi dropped the required amount, as well as an extra 73 ryō for the waiter. Silently they exited the restaurant and followed the two silent ninja. After a few minutes, they had followed them to a secluded area, whereupon reaching it the two ANBU stopped.

"We know that you are following us, Iwa-nin. I assume that you are here in order to gain control of the Jinchūriki. You cannot be allowed to take him with you." one of them said.

"If you understand that we are Iwa-nin, and you know why we are here, then you cannot be allowed to tell your master. I am assuming that you are members of Ne, and you serve Danzō. Prepare to die." Ōnoki said. At this, Akatsuchi attacked.

"Doton: Domu!" Akatsuchi called as he made the Hebi hand-sign. His skin became darker, and harder, and he altogether became colored like stone.

"Doton: Kengan no Jutsu!" he called out next as rock surrounded his hand and he rushed at one of the ANBU catching him in the gut by surprise. The ANBU flew back a few paces, righting himself in the air as he did so, and landed on his feet, drawing his sword when his feet touched the ground. He pushed off, and flew at Akatsuchi slicing at him with his tantō, which Akatsuchi blocked with his rock-covered arm. They engaged in a Taijutsu match, with neither being able to gain the advantage. Akatsuchi had the defensive capabilities of the Domu, whereas the ANBU was too fast for Akatsuchi to land a hit on him. Meanwhile, the other ANBU attempted to attack the disguised Tsuchikage who merely avoided each attack making sure that at least one leg was touching the ground.

"Why do you not strike back? I can sense a large amount of chakra from you – you are obviously a powerful shinobi." the ANBU asked.

"The reason is very simple – I was making sure that there was nobody in the vicinity." the disguised Tsuchikage replied.

"Ah, Chikyū Kenchi Parusu. A very useful technique, which you Iwa-nin use fairly often. But why did you need to make sure that there is nobody here? Your partner seems to have no reservations about attacking mine." the ANBU inquired.

"Simple – my techniques are very easy to recognize. Jinton: Genkai Hakuri no Jutsu!" the Tsuchikage called, forming a cube that engulfed both of the ANBU's, before the glowing core inside the cube exploded, engulfing both of the ANBU, destroying them utterly, reducing them to dust.

"Thank you, Ōnoki-sama. I did not want to use any very powerful jutsu for fear of being noticed." Akatsuchi said dusting himself off. Ōnoki merely grunted, gazing into space.

_Where were they going? The village gates were in the opposite direction, what would Ne be doing in the village? They are usually deployed outside…Wait a minute! Knowing Danzō, he wants control over the Jinchūriki, so he would send his agents to keep track of the brat and protect him, as well as attempt to convert him at some point. It's a good thing I got rid of them; it will make snatching the boy easier…_

"Akatsuchi, while we were in the restaurant, did you find out anything?" the Tsuchikage asked.

"Hai, Tsuchikage-sama. The orphanage that has had the greatest influx of orphans in the last 5 days or so is Onjō Orphanage. It is our best chance." Akatsuchi answered.

"Excellent. Good work." the Tsuchikage responded, "We will capture him tomorrow. Meanwhile, we will investigate a hypothesis I have."

**Timeskip – next day.**

Ōnoki woke up at around 6:00AM the next morning, as he saw that Akatsuchi had already awoken and was eating a fairly large breakfast that the Tsuchikage joined him for.

"What is the address of Onjō Orphanage, Akatsuchi?" Ōnoki asked after he finished chewing a mouthful of omelet.

"307 Sukuinushi Road." Akatsuchi replied.

"Excellent. We will take the boy at night, when there is less notice. Now, we need to check out a lead I have." the Tsuchikage replied, drinking a glass of water.

"A lead, sir?" Akatsuchi asked in a confused tone.

"I believe…there may be another Senju." Ōnoki said.

"Ummmm, sir? Konoha no Namekuji Tsunade-hime is a Senju." Akatsuchi said carefully.

"No, Akatsuchi. Tsunade WAS a Senju. She is dead." Ōnoki replied with no small degree of satisfaction.

"Dead? But…what? How? When?" Akatsuchi said in total shock.

"Akegoda Sabukawa ran in to her in a village a few weeks ago. She was drunk off her ass in a bar, as usual, and was completely depressed. Akegoda tried to take the chance to learn some information about Konoha. He learned much more than he thought he would. It turns out, when Tsunades lover, Dan Katō, died, she fell into a depressed state. During that time period, she had a one-night stand with a man whom she got pregnant by. However, apparently she could not bear to keep a child not of her dead lover, as she felt it was dishonoring his memory. So, she dropped the baby off with the father, despite knowing only his address. After that, she did her best to forget about the kid, but every year she gets drunk and depressed even more than usual. After learning that, Akegoda, being a Iryō-nin (Medical Ninja), slit her throat with Chakra no Mesu." Ōnoki said.

"But how did he get the drop on her?" Akatsuchi asked.

"She was drunk, and had not had sex in a loooooooong time. Akegoda took advantage of the opportunity. After he finished the carnal activities, he slit her throat." Ōnoki replied with a small amount of embarrassment.

"What about her apprentice? Shiz-something, I think her name was." Akatsuchi asked.

"Shizune, yes. Akegoda slipped her a poison – she died in her sleep." Ōnoki answered.

"So, do we know anything about where to look for the kid?" Akatsuchi asked.

"Yes the address of where she left the kid is 49 Taki Road. Funny thing is, she did not remember anything about the man, only the address of where she left the kid." Ōnoki replied, "So that is where we are going to be going in the meanwhile, while we wait for nightfall."

"Hai, Tsuchikage-sama. Now I understand why you wanted to do this personally." Akatsuchi said.

**Taki Road**

_Knock, Knock_. The Henge'd Tsuchikage knocked on the door of the apartment building.

"Hai, Kon'ichiwa?" an old lady answered the door.

"We would like to look at room 49, please? I believe that one of my relatives used to live here, could you tell me who used occupy those rooms, and where he currently lives if he does not live there?" Ōnoki asked.

"Hmmmmm, well, the current tenant only moved in there a few weeks ago, let me check who used to live there. Do you have a time period?" the old lady asked.

"Yes, around the end of the Second Shinobi World War, and a bit after." Akatsuchi replied.

"Hmmm, well, let's check the records, shall we?" the old lady said, and led them to a room inside the building, "I keep accurate records of all of my former and current tenants to make tracking them down easier in case they do not pay me, so we should have information on whoever use to live in that room." as she was saying that she started opening a file cabinet, "Room 49, you said? Let's see, the tenant before the one I have now lived there for about 1 year, and before that it was unoccupied for 9 years during the Third Shinobi World War. That was after Garuda Sadefawa occupiedthe rooms for about 3 years, before him the rooms were unoccupied for 8 years. Now, who was the tenant before that? Oh, goodness! I never even noticed!" the old lady exclaimed.

"What? What did you find out?" Ōnoki asked in excitement.

"Apparently, the tenant before Garuda-san, and before the 8 year unoccupancy period, was a man by the name of Fuyuki Namekaze! Yes, now I remember! A child was dropped off here about 21 years ago for Fuyuki-san! That must have been Yondaime-sama! To think, I had Yondaime-sama live under my roof!" the old lady said in shock.

"That's…not possible! You are saying that the man who used to live here was the father of the Kiiroi Senkō?!" Ōnoki exclaimed.

"Hai, hai! I remember that a little while after the child was dropped off, his father, Fuyuki was killed on a mission and poor little Minato was dropped off in an orphanage. How sad…" the old lady sighed.

"Th-thank you, Oba-san…" Akatsuchi said in shock, "If we need any more information, we will be sure to come ask." At this, the two Iwa-nins left the apartment building.

"Unbelievable…the Destroyer of Stone was of the Senju bloodline…" Akatsuchi muttered in shock.

"Not completely unbelievable, Akatsuchi. If you remember, the Senju clan was known as "**Sen no te o motsu ichizoku**". They were well known for being prodigies in many fields of the Shinobi Arts. It is entirely feasible that he was a descendant of that particular clan. However, now we do not have much to go on when it comes to any of his possible children…" Ōnoki explained, "Come, let us scout out the orphanage."

**Timeskip – 3:07AM**

Two shinobi ran up the side of Onjō Orphanage, reaching the 3rd floor and entering through a window into a room.

"Take the kid, and slap a Silencing Seal tag on his mouth." the shorter shinobi whispered.

"Hai, Tsuchikage-sama." whispered the taller one, doing as ordered, "Tsu-tsu-tsuchikage-sama!" he whispered hoarsely.

"What?! Be quiet!" the Tsuchikage whispered harshly

"Look at the child!" Akatsuchi whispered.

"I had thought it would so, but I had never truly believed it…He actually made his son into the Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi no Kitsune…" the Tsuchikage whispered.

"Tsuchikage-sama, do you know what this means?" Akatsuchi stuttered.

"Yes…we could potentially have the GREATEST shinobi of all time…the blood of the Senju and Uzumaki, as well as the chakra reserves of being the Jinchūriki of the greatest of the Bijū…Let's go! Quickly!" Ōnoki ordered.

Meanwhile, a certain silver-haired Jōnin was sitting in front of the Memorial Stone, mourning the loss of his sensei, and the last of his old team when suddenly he felt the seals he had placed on Naruto's room trigger.

_Naruto! Someone is trying to harm Naruto! No, I will NOT let the last reminder of Sensei I have to be taken from me! _Kakashi thought frantically as he made the Ram seal to use the Shunshin no Jutsu to try to get to the orphanage as fast as possible. He had to use it several times, but by the time he got there, Naruto and whoever took him were gone.

"Shit! Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Pakkun!" the teen shouted.

"Yo, Kakashi, what's up?" the dog said raising his paw.

"Pakkun, Sensei's son has been taken, we need to get him back! I must get him back!" Kakashi yelled.

"Why don't we notify the Hokage? He could help us!" Pakkun stated. Kakashi thought about it for a second, and while he did, Pakkun saw the tortured madness in his eyes.

"Y-yes, you're right. Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Kakashi said, summoning a small dog, "Go to the Hokage! Tell him that Uzumaki Naruto has been taken, and that I am tracking him as we speak! Go! Now!" The dog nodded once, before rushing towards the Hokage building. Meanwhile, Kakashi gave Pakkun a scrap of Naruto's clothing. Pakkun sniffed it, and immediately rushed towards the window.

"Kakashi! They came via the window – the scent leads down!" Pakkun stated urgently.

"Shinobi…follow them, Pakkun!" Kakashi ordered. Pakkun nodded once and ran, Kakashi following him. They ran through the village, with Pakkun occasionally stopping to sniff the ground with Kakashi growing more terrified by the second.

"Kakashi, the smell leads outside the village!" Pakkun said.

"Kuso! Hurry!" Kakashi yelled. When they got past the village gates, Kakashi pulled out a kunai, and started marking the trees every 50 meters or so.

**With the Hokage**

Being bitten on the foot by a small, yet sharp set of teeth awakened the Hokage.

"Ah! What the hell?!" the Hokage jumped out of bed.

"Oi! Hokage! Kakashi says that one Uzumaki Naruto has been kidnapped! Kakashi is following him, but he is requesting backup!" the small dog that had jumped on his bed barked urgently.

"Naruto!?" the Hokage said in disbelief, "Shit! Mizuko!" he called his secretary.

"Hai, Hokage-sama?" she asked, running into his room.

"Assemble all Jōnin for a briefing, along with all ANBU! I don't care if they are asleep or on vacation! I want them all here! We have a Class 5 Situation!" the Hokage ordered.

"Hai, Hokage-sama!" the secretary answered, saluting. She ran back into her office, and used the Kuchiyose no Jutsu to summon 40 cats, "Get every single ANBU awake, and have them get every OTHER Jōnin and ANBU awake and in front of the Hokage Residence! Now!" the cats immediately ran in all directions. Meanwhile, the Hokage got out of bed and put on his old armor – the one he wore during the old days of the Second Shinobi World War.

_Minato, Kushina, I will not let your legacy be taken from Konoha!_

**With Kakashi**

"We have them, Kakashi!" Pakkun yelled, just as they saw the two shinobi.

"Damn, he caught up with us!" the shorter one grunted, "Ah, my back!"

"Pakkun, stay back. I will deal with them." Kakashi said coldly, "Whoever you are, give me the boy, and surrender. I am Sharingan no Kakashi, you have no chance against me! If you come quietly, I will merely maim you and take you to the Konoha T&I Department."

"What a generous proposal, Hatake. However, do you really think that you can take me?" the short shinobi said, coming forward, dispelling his Henge as he did.

"Ryōtenbin no Ōnoki…" Kakashi said, as fear crept into his heart. He knew that he would not leave this fight alive, but he was determined that he would not let his sensei's son be taken from Konoha. He raised his hand, and raised his headband, revealing his Sharingan.

_Obito, Sensei…Protect me. _

"Chidori!" Kakashi yelled, as forming the hand-signs, as his hand was engulfed in lightning chakra.

"Heh, very well Hatake. I will enjoy killing you, the student of Namikaze." Ōnoki smirked, "Doton: Chidōkaku!" he yelled, lowering the ground several hundred meters, "I will not let you escape this hole. Katon: Endan!" he said, exhaling a massive ball of fire at Kakashi, who was running at him. At the speed he was going, all Kakashi could do was jump through the fireball, coating his body with a thin layer of water chakra, escaping with minimal burns, however, when he attempted to pierce the Tsuchikage with the Chidori, all he hit was a Doton Kage Bunshin which dissolved into mud.

"Kuso! Where is he?! Left? Right? Above?" he whirled frantically around.

"Below!" a sound came, as he was suddenly pulled underground, a kunai being jammed into the lower back of his spinal cord.

"AAAAAAAAAARGH!" Kakashi yelled, as he stopped feeling anything below his waist.

"So, the famous Hatake Kakashi at my feet. Amusing, isn't it. I must admit to feeling a distinct amount of pleasure at killing the student of the man who crippled my village. I want you to remember this. I want this image seared into your head, for the last few moments of your pathetic life. I want you to know in your last minutes that you failed. The son of your precious sensei will be the one who destroys your village, and extinguishes your precious Will of Fire. I want you to know, that your village will be wiped off of the map and erased from memory. The only time that your village will be mentioned is when it is talked of as an example of the strength of Stone. Die, Hatake Kakashi. You, have, failed." the Tsuchikage said with relish as he pulled the Konoha Jōnin from the ground, kicked him away, and used Katon: Karyūdan (Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet) to immolate him.

Kakashi's last thoughts were, _I am sorry sensei I failed you. But now, I am coming. Rin, Obito, I am coming to join you at last…_

Tsuchikage-sama = Lord Earth Shadow

Bijū = Tailed Beast

Kyūbi no Kitsune = Nine-Tailed Fox

Kumogakure no Sato = Village Hidden in the Clouds

Jinchūriki = Power of Human Sacrifice

Hokage-sama = Lord Fire Shadow

Yondaime-sama = Lord Fourth

Iwagakure no Sato = Village Hidden in the Rocks

Konoha no Kiiroi Senkō= Konoha's Yellow Flash

Akai Chishio no Habanero = Red Hot-Blooded Habanero

Shinobi no Kami = God of Shinobi

Shunshin no Jutsu = Body Flicker Technique

Ne = Root

Henge no Jutsu = Transformation Technique

Purofessā = Professor

Sandaime Tsuchikage = Third Earth Shadow

Kyūji = Waiter

Kokakyu-san = Customer

Doton: Domu = Earth Style: Earth Spear

Hebi = Snake

Doton: Kengan no Jutsu = Earth Style: Stone Fist Technique

Chikyū Kenchi Parusu = Earth Sensing Pulse

Jinton: Genkai Hakuri no Jutsu = Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World

Technique

Jutsu = Techniques

Onjō Orphanage = Warm Heart Orphanage

Sukuinushi = Saviour

Konoha no Namekuji Tsunade-hime = Konoha's Slug Princess Tsunade

Chakra no Mesu = Chakra Scalpels

Taki = Waterfall

Hai, Kon'ichiwa? = Yes, hello?

Oba-san = Old Woman

Sen no te o motsu ichizoku = The Clan with a Thousand Skills

Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Pakkun = Summoning Technique: Pakkun

Kuso = Damn

Sharingan no Kakashi = Kakashi of the Sharingan

Ryōtenbin no Ōnoki = Ōnoki of Both Scales

Sharingan = Copy Wheel Eye

Chidori = Thousand Birds

Doton: Chidōkaku = Earth Release: Moving Earth Core

Katon: Endan = Fire Release: Flame Bullet

Doton Kage Bunshin = Earth Shadow Clone

Katon: Karyūdan = Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N :Hello, everybody! I am AsmodeusCain, and this is my first story. You might be wondering why I am doing this now, as opposed to the first chapter. Well, I guess you could say that last chapter was kinda like a test-drive – I wanted to see the reaction you guys would have before releasing this. Now, I sense most of you are confused why in hell I killed off Kakashi, Tsunade, and Shizune in one chapter. One reviewer said that it was really stupid, because Konoha could retaliate. The answer to why Konoha did not is in this chapter, so there you go. However, I promise you that these characters are not gone forever. *Hint hint, Kuchiyose Edo Tensei, hint hint***

_Thoughts_

"Spoken Word"

**I own nothing except for a computer and an overactive imagination!**

Chapter 2

Five years after Kyūbi Attack

"Sandaime-sama, it is as we suspected. You are in Stage IV Lung Cancer – it is doubtful that you will live past the next years. I'm sorry to be a bearer of bad news sir," the Iryō-nin said to the Hokage that was lying in a hospital bed.

"I have been smoking for…close to 50 years. I suppose I have had this coming for a long time…" Sarutobi sighed. The Iryō-nin looked at his clipboard.

"Sadly, there was a treatment for this, however, only Tsunade-sama knew how to preform the operation, and we have not had any contact with her in over nine years. Has Jiraiya-sama had any contact with her or encountered her at all during his travels?" he asked.

"Unfortunately, no. She has dropped off of the map; Jiraiya thinks she has been avoiding her creditors or something…" the Hokage answered.

_"I cannot let people know that she was assassinated…But we do not know who did it…Kami damn it."_

"Well, in that case there is not much we can do for you, Hokage-sama, except try to ease your passing a bit…" the Iryō-nin replied, "Hokage-sama, please try to get some rest, I will return tomorrow morning."

_"I will need to select a new Hokage candidate…damn it all to hell; there is nobody that would truly qualify for the position. Jiraiya is completely out of the question, for the first reason, Konoha needs his spy network, and he is not nearly responsible enough to be Hokage. Shikaku is too lazy; nothing would ever get done in the village. Moreover, though he is extremely intelligent, he is not strong enough to be a Kage. Hiashi… making a noble clan head Hokage could be potentially problematic…Fugaku is an Uchiha, and I cannot allow him to be Hokage; I simply do not trust him to do the best for Konoha. Shibi is a viable decision, however, he is not a people person – he would not inspire confidence, trust, and awe in the people of Konoha. Orochimaru, why did you have to leave? You were amazing – a genius, charismatic, powerful, you were one of the most prodigal shinobi I have seen in my life…"_

_"I cannot believe that I am, actually considering this, but it may have to be Danzō…he is powerful, I know that, and he is the quintessential shinobi. I know about his Ne, but I have never been able to track it down. Ugh, my chest! If no other viable candidate appears, I will have to appoint Danzō the Godaime Hokage…" _the Sandaime Hokage thought, occasionally cringing from pain.

Five Months Later

_"Kami damn it! Why did Ē-sama have to assign this mission to me? Stealing a Hyūga is a FUCKING bad idea! At least I grabbed the kid…" _the Kumo-nin thought as he ran through the forest surrounding Konoha with a sack on his bag, from which a squalling sound could be heard.

"Shut UP you little brat!" the Kumo-nin growled, "Damn it! This Kami-damned brat is going to bring down every ninja from Konoha down on me!"

"Stop, Kumo scum! Give me my daughter back you worthless sack of shit!" he suddenly heard.

_"SHIT! He caught up to me!" _the Kumo ninja gulped, slowly turning around, "_My only chance is to try and kill him before he gets me. But, this is a Hyūga, this might be one of the most difficult fights of my life…"_

"You think you can beat me, Hyūga? Your famed Jūken is at a disadvantage with my katana." the Kumo-nin said.

"Hmph, that is what you think, Kumo scum! Hakke Kūshō!" Hiashi growled, releasing a massive amount of chakra at the Kumo-nin from his palm, smashing him back a few feet.

"Argh!" the Kumo-nin grunted as he fell, "You will pay for that, tree hugger! Raiton: Daburukiru!" he screamed, releasing a massive blade of lightning from his sword, nearly hitting Hiashi, smashing into a tree, cutting it in half. Hiashi dodged the falling tree, and rushed at the Kumo-nin, attempting to strike at his heart. The Kumo-nin's eyes widened, and he barely dodged the certain-kill blow by ducking and slashing with his sword, with Hiashi hitting him in the left shoulder and taking a slash to the thigh. Hiashi's white robes quickly stained with the crimson life essence of the clan head and turned the deep red of blood. Both shinobi jumped apart, panting.

"Y-you aren't half-bad, tree hugger!" the Kumo-nin gasped out, clutching his shoulder, "But, I have fought you Hyūga before, and I have a technique that negates most of your effects! Raiton: Sai Kakusei!" the shinobi yelled, as suddenly he was engulfed by lightning, and he screamed in pain as Hiashi watched in horrified fascination.

"You hurt yourself, how could that help you…oh Kami…nerve stimulation!" Hiashi gasped in comprehension, "You stream lightning all over your body to stimulate your tenketsu points, opening them up again! That is a very interesting technique, but it seems to have its downsides…"

"Correct, on both counts." the Kumo-nin said, jumping and slicing downward, channeling lightning chakra through his blade as he did. Hiashi moved to the side, and attempted to hit the Kumo-nin in the side, aiming to paralyze his sword arm. The Kumo-nin saw it coming, and twisted, taking the attack to the stomach, causing him to feel extremely nauseous. Feeling it coming up, he stumbled forward and hurled all over the Hyūga clan head. Said clan head reeled, the disgusting, partially digested stomach matter spattering all over him.

_"Disgusting," _he thought, but he had to give the Kumo-nin credit, he had turned a weak moment into an attack, albeit a disgusting one. He wiped the vomit off of his face, making a note to burn his clothes later, and take several hot showers. He then started making hand-signs.

"What!? I thought you Hyūga relied completely on your taijustu! Your lauded Jūken is claimed to be the most powerful taijutsu style in the world, why would you use something else?!" the Kumo-nin exclaimed in disbelief.

"Do you honestly believe that a ninja clan as powerful as mine got to where it is by using only one style of fighting? Fool, Doton: Doryūsō!" he exclaimed as several earth spears rose out of the ground and flew at the Kumo-nin. Said Shinobi could not move fast enough to avoid all of them, and one of them tore off his left arm at the elbow.

"AAAAAAAARGH!" he yelled, clutching his bleeding stump, "Katon: Shōshaku!" the Kumo-nin yelled, pressing his palm to the stump, cauterizing the wound. At this point he realized was not going to leave this fight alive.

_"Damn you Ē-teme! I curse you from the depths of hell. I am going to die, but I am going to take this Hyūga with me, and wait for you in the pits of damnation!" _he thought picking up his sword and channeling wind chakra through his sword imperceptibly.

Hiashi watched the Kumo-nin, who did not seem to be moving. Narrowing his eyes, he activated the Byakugan, noticing the wind chakra channeled through the sword. Deactivating his Byakugan, he jumped within range of the sword, which was swung at him half-heartedly. Hiashi smirked, and dodged.

"You are in the range of my divination! Hakke Rokujūyon Shō!" he yelled, striking the Kumo-nin 64 times. At this, Hiashi smirked, and stood over the fallen shinobi, reaching down to feel his pulse, "Uh…" he gasped as suddenly a blade pierced his lung, and he fell.

"I…I am sorry…" the Kumo-nin gasped, "It…it was just…business."

"I understand," Hiashi said, choking on his blood, "You were a worthy adversary."

"F…for what it…it is worth, I e…envy you." the Kumo-nin said.

"Why?" Hiashi asked in confusion.

"You…you are dying for love…for something that you care for. I die…for a man that I hate, for a village that send me to die, and for an idea that I do not believe in…" the Kumo ninja wheezed out.

"I will never see my children grow up…my daughters will never see me again, my wife will be left alone, my brother will take over as clan head, and have to deal with the idiots on the Clan Council…" Hiashi grunted in pain, "Goodbye shinobi-san. It was an honor fighting you."

"Akakiogori Furasaya…my name…is Akakiogori Furasaya…" the ninja said.

"Goodbye, Akakiogori Furasaya, may Heaven smile on you…" Hiashi groaned.

"No, Heaven is not what waits for me…my destination is the pits of Hell…goodbye Hiashi... Hyūga…" Akakiogori shuddered and died. After those words, Hiashi fell on his back, and choked on his blood.

That was how Konoha shinobi found them ten minutes later. Hizashi took one look and fell to his knees with tears streaming down his face.

"No…no…no! NO! NO! NOOOOOO!" he screamed his rage and grief to the world.

"Hizashi…come, we will have to return to Konoha to report…" Shikaku said, landing next to him.

"You…you are right…I…I will mourn later…" Hizashi hiccupped and stood up.

In Konoha, Hyūga Clan Compound

"Hizashi…I am deeply sorry for your loss…" Hiruzen said, while thinking, _"Kami be damned! Now that damn muscle-bound brute is going to demand the body of Hiashi! I cannot afford to let Kumo get their hands on the Byakugan! What can I do, though?"_

"Spare me your pity, and your mercy, _Hokage-sama_, that will not bring my brother back." Hizashi snapped, "I am sorry sir, I did not mean…"

"I understand, Hizashi, you have had a hard night…" the Hokage replied.

"If I may sir, may I be excused? I need to start arranging the funeral of my brother, and I must comfort my sister-in-law." Hizashi asked.

"Of course Hizashi. Go, rest." The Hokage said. At this, Hizashi left, as did the Hokage.

About a week later, Hyūga Clan Compound

"What are we going to do!? We cannot let Kumo get their hands on the Byakugan!" a Hyūga councilor exclaimed.

"We understand that, Dokohara-san. But unless you have some ideas, shut the HELL up!." Hizashi Hyūga snarled.

"H-hai, Hizashi-sama." the cowed councilor stuttered.

"Now, do we have any options? There must be something that we can offer Kumo to appease them…" the Hokage said, all the while thinking, _"Hell and Damnation! Why did this have to happen to me?!"_

"What were the Raikage's words exactly, Hokage-sama?" Hizashi asked the Hokage.

"You can read the letter yourself, Hizashi. Here it is." The Hokage replied, withdrawing the letter from his gown.

_Sarutobi Hiruzen, Hokage no Konohagakure no Sato, no Hi no Kuni,_

_One of your ninja killed our Commander. I cannot allow this – by the terms of the treaty, we are demanding recompense. I demand the body of the head of the Hyūga Clan. If you do not give him to me, I will consider our agreement void, and might react in an unpleasant manner. I might even invite Iwa and Kiri to join in. You have one month._

_Ē_

_Raikage no Kumogakure no Sato, no Kaminari no Kuni_

"Wait, can't you apply the Hyūga Sōke no Juinjutsu to his body?" the Hokage asked in a burst of inspiration.

"No, Hokage-sama," another member of the Hyūga Clan Council memer, "The seal can only be applied to a living person, and even if we could apply it to Hiashi-sama, it would only work if he was newly-dead, and very young."

"So, there is nothing that we can do…" the Hokage said.

"Wrong. We can give them Hyūga Clan Head." Hizashi said.

"Hizashi-sama! Are you seriously suggesting giving Kumo, the vilest of all of the ninja villages, the most powerful kekkei genkai in the world?!" Dokohara said.

"First of all, no. The Byakugan is not the most powerful kekkei genkai in the world. It may rank fairly high, but it is not the most powerful. Second of all, we will not give them the Hiashi they need, but they will get someone who they think is Hiashi. They do not know that the Cursed Seal has to be applied to a living, young person. For all they know, we could have placed it on him just after he died." Hizashi said.

"Hi-Hizashi! You cannot honestly suggest that we…" the Hokage stuttered.

"No, I am not suggesting. I am demanding. We will give Kumo my body, and thereby avoid war, while simultaneously losing nothing." Hizashi said. The Hokage was silent for a minute before speaking,

"Honorable Clan Council, if you could leave us for a moment?" he asked. The councilors grumbled, but one by one they filed out of the room, before Hizashi and the Hokage were left alone. Hizashi stared at the old man, an impassive expression on his face, while the Hokage had a contemplative look on his face.

"Why would you do this, Hizashi? You were just made Clan Head – you are free from the Cursed Seal, your son Neji will be free, your bloodline will be the rulers of the Hyūga Clan. Why would you give all of that up, for our village?" the Hokage finally asked.

"The village? Don't make me laugh. I am doing this for myself." Hizashi replied with a snort.

"I do not understand…" the Hkage asked in confusion.

"All of my life, I have been a slave – a slave to the clan, a slave to the Main Branch, a slave to the village, a slave to my brother. Right now, I do not want to be a slave anymore. My entire life, I have not made any choices about myself – it has all been Fate. I did not become the leader of the Clan, I was MADE the leader of the Clan. I had no choice in the matter. Well, right now, I am cheating Fate. I am making the decision about my life. In this moment, I control my life. In this moment…I am free." Hizashi said.

"Very well. We, we will do what you desire." The Hokage replied, after thinking for a minute or so. He prepared to call the other members of the Council in, when Hizashi stopped him, and gestured to come closer. He lowered his head, and whispered something to the Hokage. The Hokage's eyes widened, and he looked at Hizashi as if the Hyūga had gone mad. Hizashi only nodded, and gestured to the wardrobe in the room. Hiruzen tried to say something, but Hizashi simply shook his head. Hiruzen went to the wardrobe and took out a bundle, which Hizashi unfurled, revealing a tantō, a snow-white robe, and a mat, as well as a larger wakizashi. After this, Hiruzen called the other members of the Clan Council. One by one, they came back into the room, to find Hizashi kneeling on the mat, holding the tantō in a reverse grip.

"Honorable Council of the Hyūga Clan, I am calling you all now as witnesses to my actions. On this day, I will commit ritual seppuku, and my body will be given to the village of Kumogakure no Sato. Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage no Kumogakure no Sato will be my kaishakunin. My will is final, and you cannot change my mind. Before I proceed, I would like a moment of prayer," Hizashi said lowering the tantō to his abdomen, and closing his eyes. Quietly, he began to chant. When he had finished, he spoke again. "Call my son."

"Hizashi, are you mad!? This could traumatize young Neji!" Hiruzen yelled in disbelief.

"My son will know how his father died, and why he died. Call my son." Hizashi demanded. A council member went to fetch Neji, and returned a few minutes later.

"Daddy? What are you doing? Why did you wake me up?" Neji asked, rubbing his eyes.

"My son…I want you to know that I love you, and that what is happening is of my own free will. I am giving up my life, in order to maintain peace, but understand this now – I am not doing this for the village, or the clan, or for the people of this village. I am doing this for myself. My entire life, I have been a slave – no decision regarding my life has been made by me – Fate has controlled my entire existence. But, in this instance, I am in control, and I rule my destiny. I want you know this now – Fate controls the lives of the many, and the weak. Do not be one of those. Become strong, become powerful, and become great. Only that way can you defy Fate, and make your own future." Hizashi finished his speech. Neji looked stunned and confused, and Hizashi simply smiled.

"Do not worry my son. One day, you will understand." Hizashi smiled and ruffled his son's hair, "Hokage-sama…I am ready." The Hokage picked up the wakizashi, and positioned it over Hizashi's neck. One of the council members put his hand on Neji's shoulder and squeezed in comfortingly. Hizashi positioned the tantō, and turned his head to look at his son one last time, before moving the blade a little away from his body, squeezing the hilt, and ramming it into his belly. Still looking at his son, he swiftly pulled the blade from left to right, spilling out internal organs, before the Hokage swiftly lowered the wakizashi onto Hizashi's neck, removing his head from the body. It rolled a few feet, stopping in front of Neji, with his large, pale, unblinking eyes staring up into the boy's as a single, fat, wet tear rolled down the young child's cheek. The council member squeezed the young boy's shoulder, and led him to his room.

The Hokage stared at Hizashi's body, befor he suddenly felt a stabbing pain in his chest. He clutched it, and suddenly, before anyone could react, he fell.

A council member activated his Byakugan, and gasped.

"The Hokage has fluid in hi lungs! He can't breath! We must get him to a hospital, immediately!" the council scrambled into motion, picking up the coughing Hokage, and rushed him to the hospital. The moment they got there, a nurse took one look at him, and yelled.

"I need a bed immediately! The Hokage is here, and he is in serious condition!" One of the councilors quickly informed her of the problem, and she called for a doctor. The Hokage was rushed to a private room, and a cannula was inserted into his lungs, and the fluid was drained.

"All right, we got most of it out, he should be able to breath normally now. He needs to rest, and not do anything strenuous. As it is, with the stress he has undergone today, I would give him less than three months to live…" a doctor said.

Next Week

The Hokage had called a meeting, and was patiently awaiting the members of the advisory Konoha council. The council was a system put in place by the Shodaime Hokage, Hashirama Senju, created to advise the Hokage, as well as take up complaints to him about various issues, asking him for judgment about said issues, however they had no real power in the village. Slowly, they filed in, one at a time.

First came Shibi Aburame, the head of the Aburame Clan – one of the four noble clans of Konoha's. He was a quiet man, who spoke little, but thought much. He wore a large coat, with the collar reaching above the nose. He wore small glasses, covering his eyes, and giving him a fairly creepy look. Usually, the only thing that could be heard from him was a slight buzz.

Next came Chōza Akimichi, the, "pleasantly plump" head of the Akimichi Clan. The Akimichi were also a noble clan of Konoha, who were well known for being large, and having weight-based attacks. Chōza wore samurai armor, with食, shoku – the kanji for food on it.

The third to come in was Fugaku Uchiha – the head of the Uchiha Clan, well known for their rivalry with the Senju Clan. He was a man of a somber nature, who rarely smiled, and often had a slightly arrogant look on his face. Not many people liked him, but nobody could deny that he was a powerful shinobi, and was a capable leader of one of the most powerful clans in Konoha. He wore a simple kimono, with a reverse apron with a white diamond design on it.

Next came the leader of the final noble clan of Konoha – Hikari Hyūga, the newly elected leader of the Hyūga Clan. She was the wife of the late Hiashi, and had decided to take control over the clan until her daughter or Neji were old enough to become the heads of the Clan. She wore a white kimono, with a blue floral design on it. Her hair was styled into a complicated braid, and she wore a Konoha Hitai-ate on her waist as a belt.

After Hikari entered two people at the same time – Inoichi Yamanaka, and Shikaku Nara. Inoichi wore a simple black coat above a grey shirt and white cargo pants. His hair was in a ponytail, and his eyes were pure green, with no pupils. Shikaku wore a mesh undershirt, and a flak jacket. His hair was styled in a spiky topknot, and he had 2 scars on the left side of his face. He had a moustache, and a goatee, and he had a permanently bored expression on his face.

Finally, Tsume Inuzuka, the head of the Inuzuka Clan came in, with her ninken Kuromaru. She had two tattoos on her cheeks in the shape of fangs as well as a spiky hair. Her overall appearance made her look somewhat feral compounded by the fact that she usually had a fairly unsettling bloodthirsty grin on her face. She wore a flak jacket, under which she wore a brown tracksuit.

After the Clan Heads came in, the Honorable Elders of Konoha – Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado came in, followed by Danzō Shimura, who was not actually a member of the council, but was usually invited by the Hokage. Koharu wore a black long-sleeved shirt, as well as a white shawl, along with a tan long skirt. Homura wore a blue robe and a pale yellow jacket covered by a white scarf. Danzō wore a white long shirt, covered on the right side by a black over shirt. His right arm was completely bandaged, along with the right side of his face. Danzō was known as the Yami no Shinobi because of his leadership of Ne.

"I have called you all here today for a simple purpose – I am too tired to be Hokage anymore. I am old, and I have Stage IV Lung Cancer, and last week I nearly died. I am no longer fit to be Hokage, and today I am going to decide who the next Hokage is going to be." Sarutobi said. He was met with silence.

"Ummm, Hokage-sama, who are you going to choose?" Inoichi asked.

"My decision is…Danzō Shimura." Sarutobi responded. He was met stunned silence – even Danzō was confused. Hikari looked at the Hokage as if he had gone insane, and Shikaku was so shocked he woke up.

"H-Hokage-sama…have you gone round the bend?" Tsume finally asked bluntly. Everybody knew that Hiruzen did not trust Danzō – he viewed him as a warmonger, a liar, and way to Machiavellian. The suddenness of the question, combined with the rudeness and typical _Tsumeness_ of itcaused Homura, normally implacable **Homura **to snort. Everyone turned their heads to look at him so quickly, they nearly got whiplash. After the council and Homura had a staring match for a few seconds, the Hokage answered Tsume's question.

"No, Tsume-san, I have not gone insane. I know that most people think that I mistrust Danzō, but in reality, I trust him very much. I trust him to do what is best for Konoha, and for her people. I am old, in more ways than one, and I am tired. I have been living in a world of peace for too long. The incident with the Hyūga Clan has reminded me, that we are a military village. The years of peace have made us fat and indolent. We NEED a man like Danzō, because if we have another person like I, we will have even more villages making us look like fools." He said.

"Hokage-sama…we could not do anything about Kumo. They threatened war, and said that Iwa would join them. We are not prepared for war – after the Third Shinobi World War, and the Kyūbi attack, aour forces are at an all-time low. We simply could not afford war." SHikaku said.

"Hai, and do you know why that is?" the Hokage asked, as everyone looked at him, "Because I was WEAK!" he yelled slamming his hand on the table, startling everyone but Danzō when he did.

"Over the last 5 years, since the assault of the Kyūbi, the death rates for new Genin have gone up by 60%. Why? Because in my soft-heartedness, I believed that with the end of the Third Shinobi World War, we should let children be children. This. Is. FOLLY! They are not children – they are **shinobi. **They are killers, thieves, liars, and cheaters, and yet they waste almost an entire YEAR doing idiotic D-Rank missions! When I was a boy, we did those in the Academy as training exercises! By the time I had become a Genin, I knew much more than the Kawarimi, Henge, and Bunshin, of the three the only useful on being the Kawarimi. So, I have decided, enough is enough. I am abdicating, and Danzō will be the Godaime Hokage. My will is unmovable." The Hokage finished his speech, and in that moment, the council saw what Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage USED to be – Kami no Shinobi, one of the fiercest and most powerful ninja to ever exist. And in that moment, they realized he was right. Konoha needed change, and it needed it soon, otherwise, they would be faced with another incident, and maybe even worse than the one that had just occurred…

Next Day, Inauguration of Godaime Hokage

"I have been Hokage of this village…for nigh on 40 years. I have seen two wars, and several international incidents. I have seen the birth and rise of this village, like a phoenix from the ashes, ignited by the Will of Fire. But…I have also seen some very tough times. The Kyūbi Attack, the death of our dear Minato, and the recent incident with Kumo…This has lead me to believe that I am no longer fit to be Hokage. I am tired, and I wish to spend the last few months of my life with my family, so, today, I am announcing my Hokage…Danzō Shimura!" his speech was met with a few cheers, but mostly confused silence as Danzō took the podium.

"People of Konoha…I know many of you do not trust me. You view me as a war hawk, and that I cling to antiquated and militant beliefs, and that I will do whatever is necessary for my own betterment. I stand before you now as your new Hokage, and I tell you this now – from this moment I will do everything in my power to help and better Konoha and her people. I will make our village such a village, that nobody will even DREAM of trying to undermine us. Right now, we have hit rock bottom. We are the bottom of the barrel, the lowest of the low. But, from the bottom, there is only one way to go – up! I will make Konohagakure no Sato, the GREATEST of the ninja villages, as it once was!" Danzœ yelled out the last few words, raising his arms as he did. At this, the crowd went wild – they were not sure whether they trusted the new Hokage or not yet, but they agreed with what he said. This was a man that could lead them to a new Golden Age of peace, power, and prosperity…

Next Month

Over the following month, Danzō had done a complete overhaul of the training system, starting with the Academy.

Flashback no Jutsu

"Haigashi-san, how long have you been the Academy instructor?" the new Hokage asked.

"Ummm, about 3 years…" the nervous Chunin replied. At this moment, many thoughts were running through his head – was the Hokage mad? Was he pleased? Was he about to get fired?

"Tell me honestly what you think about the material that you teach over 4 years, Haigashi-san." Danzō demanded.

"Well…it is a bit basic…in my opinion, I could have the students able to do the Kawarimi, Bunshin, and Henge at least by the second year of enrollment, and try to have them know Shunshin and maybe their elemental affinities by the time they graduate. Moreover, there is a very large emphasis on theoretical knowledge, most of which, to be honest, I do not remember having to use much when I worked in the field. Finally, I believe that having our students do no actual work, outside of sparring and the occasional field trip does not adequately prepare them for the world outside." Haigashi replied.

"And what do you think you could do to improve it?" Danzō asked.

"Well, if I had a choice, first of all, I would decrease the Academy enrollment age to 6 – this gives us more time to prepare them to be ninja. Second I would try to lessen the amount of theoretical knowledge – calculating the trajectory of a kunai flight will not help you in battle unless you are a Nara: one simply does not have the time. Third, I would increase the amount of chakra control exercises – introduce tree climbing by the third year, and have them master water walking by the time they graduate. This would serve to not only increase chakra control, but chakra reserves as well. By the third year, I would try to get the students to know their elemental affinities, so that they can train in a specific area. I would use the academy students to complete D-Rank missions – this not only prepares them for the real world of ninja missions, it also gives the village more income – you do not have to pay Genin out of the cost of the mission. Finally, I would pair them up with people that they consider rivals, so that they may grow and seek to better themselves against their opponent. This would also work to establish bonds and build rudimentary teamwork." Haigashi said, taking a deep breath after his long speech. Danzō looked at him and thought,

_This is the type of man I need. He thinks exactly like me, and with his help, I can create the next generation of ninja, one more powerful and efficient than any before seen. And I will start here…_

"Haigashi, in your opinion, how soon do you think you can implement this new system, and how much funds do you think you will need?" Danzō asked.

"Well, Hokage-sama, I can't implement the system this year because we are already half-way through it, but next year I definitely can. I can use the remaining half of the year and the summer to plan a course schedule for the 6 years of academy. As to funds…we may need a fair amount, because we would have to hire specialists to teach, and those do cost a pretty penny. However, the village would get that money back in spades, with all of the D-Ranks that the Academy would complete for free." Haigashi replied, already mentally planning the restructuring of the Academy.

"It will be done. I want you to create a plan in the next half-year on how to restructure the academy, and present it to me. Request help from anybody that you want – if you require funds, I will give them to you. Meanwhile, I think we can implement one part of the plan this year – start the Academy students above second year doing D-Ranks. This will be a good way to raise our economy quickly, given that we have suffered several blows to it in the past few years." Danzō commanded.

"Hai, Hokage-sama!" Haigashi said calmly as he turned to leave. On the inside however, he was jumping for joy.

_Finally! Hokage-sama recognizes my ideas, and I can actually train shinobi that I am proud of! This may even lead to a promotion to head instructor!_

Danzō looked at the man who was obviously drooling inside, and mentally smirked. This was too easy – basic psychology: show a man that he is appreciated, and he will go to the ends of the earth for you. Granted, Danzō had wanted to implement all of those changes himself, but the fact that someone else had the idea and that he approved it gave him a loyal follower, and one that gave him direct access to the young minds and future of Konoha, making manipulating them much easier, and harder to trace back to him.

Flashback Kai

However, that was only the first part of the plan that Danzō had implemented. Over the years, he had grown wary of Orochimaru, especially after he defected. It is not that he disliked his experiments, on the contrary. However, without Orochimaru bound to the village, he may easily attack or attempt to subvert it. It is for this reason that Danzō had arranged this meeting – he had to negotiate a deal between Konoha and it's most famous nukenin.

"Well, well, well, Danzō. Long time no see…did you miss me?" came a chilling snakelike hiss from the dark room. Normal men would have had chills running down their spines at this point, but not Danzō he had seen things more frightening than Orochimaru, and he did not intend to play the Hebi Sennin's mind games.

"Cut the crap, Orochimaru, I do not want to waste any time." Danzō snapped. At this Orochimaru pouted.

"Awwwww, Danzō-sama, you cut me to my very heart." He said.

"That cold, dead, blackened organ of yours can barely be classified as a heart. Now, let's get down to business. You know why I summoned you, yes?" Danzō asked.

"Well, let's see. The old man is about to croak, you got appointed Hokage, I am dangerous, and you want to reform Konoha. Sooooooo, I am going to guess you want to offer me something in return for me not fucking with your grand plan. Am I correct, Danzō?" Orochimary hissed out.

"On all counts. Now, what can I offer you to leave Konoha alone?" Danzō asked, dreading the response.

"Ha…hahahaha….HAHAHAHAHA!" Orochimaru burst into a uncharacteristic full-belly laughter, "What can you offer me you old Warhawk? I have almost everything I need – I certainly do not need you!"

"Ah, but that is where you are mistaken. First of all, just how well does Akatsuki pay you? Yes, I know all about the fact that you have joined them." Danzō smirked, looking at Orochimaru's slightly surprised expression, for which it was the equivalent of a wide-eyed gaping expression, "I am willing to wager that this Pain does not give you nearly enough, considering how much your experiments are worth. Moreover, I understand you Orochimaru. I have known you for almost 50 years – you want, no, you _crave _attention. How many of your developments have been used? Ten no Juin, Chi no Juin, Orochimaru-ryū no Kawarimi no Jutsu, and so many others. How many others have you developed that have never been witnessed and admired for their ingenuity? How many experiments have you not been able to do because of lack of funding? You could have that and more. Your developments could be recognized and admired. You could experiment, truly experiment, with funding, and not the reject equipment that you happen to scavenge. And, I could call off quite a few of the ANBU I have hunting for you currently. However, should you refuse, I might happen to assign more. Think about it Orochimaru. I could even supply you with a few kekkei genkai users every now and again. And you would not be in any danger – I would simply pass it off as developed by the R&D, using young Kabuto."

"Hmmmm…The offer is quite tempting… But how do I know you will keep your side of the bargain?" Orochimaru asked.

"Because I do not want Konoha demolished, that is how." Danzō retorted.

"Very well, Danzō, we have a deal. If you want, I can show you some of the fruits of my endeavors, and you can see if you can put them to use." Orochimarū offered.

"Excellent. But, should you renege on our bargain, I will not send ANBU after you. No, I will get rid of you myself, and trust me, you will enjoy it." Danzō threatened cryptically. Orochimaru merely chuckled, and thought to himself.

_Threaten me all you want, old man, but my day will come. I will see Konoha razed to the ground, burning. And when you ask me for help, I will throw your threat back in your face, and deal with you, and trust ME, you will not only not enjoy it, but you will remember it for the rest of your short, miserable life. Kukuku…_

Out loud however, he merely said, "Why Danzō, after everything that we have been through, would you really distrust me like this?"

"Yes. Yes, I would." Danzō said bluntly.

3 years after Hyūga Incident

"Itachi, any new developments?" Danzō asked seemingly to thin air.

"Somewhat, Danzō-sama. I have found out the day that my Clan wishes to launch the attack on Konoha." A disembodied monotone answered.

"Humph. When?" Danzō asked.

"October 10, Danzō-sama. My father says that there is a double advantage to this – it is the day of the festival, so many ninja and civilians will be caught with their pants figuratively down, and he also seems to think that it is poetic – the Uchiha will betray the village in reality, on the day they were accused of doing it." Itachi replied.

"Damn him…" Danzō muttered, _If that fool had only agreed to try and work this out, but Fugaku Uchiha is as unmovable as a fucking mountain. He would have made a great Iwa shinobi… In any case, there is nothing that can be done. But Kami damn it! Why does this have to all happen so soon?! _

"Danzō-sama, what are your orders? What should I do?" Itachi asked. Danzō sighed.

"We have to execute the back-up plan. The Wednesday of next week, you will slaughter the Uchiha Clan, excepting your younger brother." Danzō ordered.

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Itachi replied with a slight waver in his usual monotone.

"Itachi, I truly wish that this did not have to happen – the loss of one of our greatest clans will hurt Konoha greatly…" Danzō said, "Now, you are dismissed."

_Of course that senile fucker only thinks about the village, not the fact that he is ordering me to kill off my entire family…Sasuke, one day, you will avenge me, and rebuild the Clan…_ Itachi shook out of his reverie as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop, stopping after a few minutes, and lying down on one of the roofs, gazing at the night sky. _I wish that I could be a star in the sky…powerless truly, but I would burn and illuminate with the heat of the sun…I would have no true responsibility, and I would be at peace…maybe in my next life, Kami will see fit to reincarnate me as a star…_

Next week – September 20, nighttime

Itachi was entering his room through his window, when he suddenly realized that someone was already in there. Drawing his tantō, he slowly jumped into the room, listening intently as he did.

"Hi, Itachi." A weak voice sounded from his bed, "Long time no see."

"Shisui?" Itachi asked in disbelief, sheathing his tantō, "What are you doing here?"

"The clan…ordered me to watch you. They suspect that you are going to betray them regarding the coup, so they told me to keep an eye on you. However…I do not agree with them. I di not want to stage a coup…it would only create more hostility and rage, and it would mean the deaths of so many people…so many innocent people…" Shisui said, "A few hours ago, I attempted to talk to Danzō-sama, to convince him to arrange peace talks with Fugaku-sama…"

"And? What did he say?" Itachi asked excitedly, "And why don't you come out of the shadow?"

"He…said that peace talks would never work with a man liôe Fugaku-sama…and then he tore out my right eye…" Shisui said, stepping out of the shadows.

"Shi-shisui!" Itachi stammered in shock, gazing at his friend. Shisui was holding his right hand over his eye, with blood seeping between his fingers. His hair was completely messed up, and he was limping on his right foot, which was bent at the wrong angle, "What did he do to you?"

"I told you – he tore my right eye out." Shisui smirked weakly.

"We…we need to get you to a hospital! You are going to bleed out!" Itachi said, snapping out of his shock.

"No, Itachi. Even if the Iryō-nins help me, Danzō will find a way to get rid of me in another manner. No, Itachi. I am tired of this, tired of life. I have lived my entire life as a weapon and a killer – it is time for me to repent for my sins. You must take my eye, and kill me. Make it look like a suicide, that way Danzō will not think that you are on the side of the Uchiha." Shisui said in a tired voice.

"Shisui, you cannot ask me to do that – you are my best friend!" Itachi said fiercely.

"It is precisely because you are my best friend that I am asking you to do this! Itachi, do this for me, I beg you! There is nobody else that I could ask to do this! Please, free me from this cursed existence!" Shisui pleaded with his friend.

"V-very well, if that is what you truly wish…" Itachi stammered.

"How are you going to do it, if I may ask?" Shisui asked.

"Dim Mak…" Itachi replied with a heavy heart.

"Ah, a good choice. Hard to trace, leaves no marks." Shisui said, "Now, before you put me out of my misery, I must ask another favor."

"Anything. If it is within my power, I will do it." Itachi said, fervently wishing to help his only friend.

"My eyes…they are dangerous – that is why Danzō wanted them so badly. I have unlocked the Mangekyō Sharingan, and with it an extremely dangerous technique called Kotoamatsukami – one of the greatest Genjutsu in existence. With it, one can alter memories, literally brainwashing someone. Danzō means to use it to attempt to control someone or something, I do not know, but I know this: my eyes cannot be allowed to fall into the hands of those who would seek to do evil. Therefore, take it, and keep it safe." Shisui finished, raising his left hand, and suddenly plunging it into his socket, and pulling out his eye.

"AAAAAAAAARGH!" he screamed in pain. Itachi looked on in horrified fascination as his best friend destroyed his sight forever. Shisui held his hand up, and handed it to Itachi, who took it like it was a precious jewel.

"Do it now…" Shisui whispered. Itachi looked at his friend one last time, before forming hand in a particular shape, and striking Shisui in his heart, damaging it.

"Thank…you…I…ta…chi…" the last part of the sentence was barely a whisper, and only a ninja would have heard it. Thus Shunshin no Shisui died. Died by his own wish, and by the hand of his best friend, who committed the deed unwillingly. Itachi took his friend's corpse to the river, quietly, subtly, in a manner that nobody would see him, and threw it in. After he did, he felt a sharp, sudden pain in his eyes. He fell to his knees, covering his eyes with his hands, and when he took them away, and looked in the reflection of the water, he saw…

He saw the eyes of the Kaleidoscope…the Mangekyō Sharingan, which could only be attained from killing the one, who you thought was your best friend. He wished…he wished he did not have these eyes, for they would serve as a constant reminder… He forged a note, signed in Shisui's handwriting, and brought it to his dead friend's apartment and left it on his desk. He then proceeded back to his own apartment, whereupon he went into his bathroom and threw up several times. After he had finished, he went back into his bedroom, and summoned a crow, and proceeded to seal the Sharingan that Shisui had given him into it. Having finished, he picked up a bottle of sleeping pills, and took one, going into a deep, dreamless sleep…

October 4, 2 weeks later

"It is time." Danzō told Itachi, "Tonight, you will do it. Then, you will leave the village."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Itachi said, seething inwardly, _"One day, old fool, I will kill you. You will pay for Shisui, and for all of the other lives that you have taken…"_

"Dismissed." Danzō ordered, turning back to his paperwork. Itachi bowed, and shunshin'd away. Heading back home, he thought about the deed he had to commit tonight, and got lost in thought. Before he knew it, he had reached his apartment, and was opening the front door. Having gone inside, he went to his bedroom, and picked up a picture. It was a photo that was several months old, and it depicted his mother and father, along with him and Sasuke. In the picture, Itachi was ruffling Sasuke's hair, which Sasuke was trying to stop, and his father was in one of those rare moments when he was actually smiling. His mother was sanding next to his father, and laughing at the camera.

_"Why? Why did he have to kill all those that were dear to him for the sake of a village? Why did the good of the many outweigh the good of the few? Why did HIS family have to die? Why…why did he have to leave his little brother?_" At this last thought, Itachi began to cry, as a single solitary tear fell from his eye, and trickled down his cheek. All the while, a single thought pervaded his entire being… "_Why?"_

Several hours later

Itachi silently leaped into the Uchiha Clan Compound, and immediately saw a masked man leaning against the gate, as if he was waiting for the ANBU.

Flashback no Jutsu

Itachi was returning from a bar late, heading home, and had just reached his apartment building, when he saw a masked man standing outside the door, blocking entrance.

"Lovely night, isn't it?" the masked man said.

"Who are you?" Itachi asked, drawing his tantō.

"Who? Who is but the form following the function of what... and what I am is a man in a mask." the masked man replied.

"I can see that." Itachi replied with a small amount of annoyance in his voice.

"Of course you can. I'm not questioning your powers of observation, I'm merely remarking on the paradox of asking a masked man who he is." the masked man said, "However, if you truly want to know, I will tell you. My name…is Madara Uchiha."

"Ma-Madara Uchiha?! You…you died! Years ago!" Itachi stuttered in disbelief.

"Heh…that is what Hashirama Senju," at this the masked man spit, "Would want you to believe. However, I am alive and well, as you can see."

"Prove it. Why should I believe that you are who you say you are?" Itachi demanded, having regained some semblance of control and calm.

"Well…it would be difficult for me to use a few of my more powerful techniques here, but how about this?" the man asked, as his eye shifted first to a regular Sharingan, and then to a more complicated design which looked like a slightly deformed 3-pointed star, with a circle connecting the three points.

"M-Mangekyō Sharingan!" Itachi nearly shouted.

"Yes. Is that enough proof for you?" the now-known Madara asked.

"Y-yes…" Itachi said, still finding it difficult to believe that he was talking to a living legend, "What are you doing in Konoha?"

"Ah…the million ryō question. I am here…to make the Uchiha Clan into what is one was, and to have it claim its rightful place, as the leaders of Konoha, as they were meant to be, instead of the foolish Senju, and the spawn of their ideology." Madara replied.

"H-have you been supporting their claim to take over the village?" Itachi asked with in fear.

"Where do you think the idea came from? For their vaunted ability to see through deception, the Uchiha Clan Council is very gullible, and it was very easy for me to use just a few genjutsu to convince them that taking over Konoha is the best course of action in order to reclaim their rights and power." Madara said, laughing once he had finished.

"But why? According to the reports left by your contemporaries, you tried to convince the clan to revolt, and were refused, after which you left, claiming the clan had betrayed you. Why would you try to help them?" Itachi asked in disbelief.

"Because I was bored…" Madara said. Itachi sweatdropped a little, but felt even more fear at a man who would incite a revolt a revolt simply out of boredom.

"What if…I offered you a better deal?" Itachi proposed hesitantly.

"Oh? Do tell – I am all ears." Madara replied.

"What if…I gave you the chance to revenge yourself on the clan that abandoned you so many years ago? Hokage-sama…Danzō knows that peace talks with the Uchiha will fail – he intends for me to kill off the entire Uchiha Clan in order to maintain peace. What…what if you helped?" Itachi suggested with no small amount of fear running through him.

"Oh…that sounds interesting…tell me more…" the man replied, intrigued.

"I am going to kill them all…except my brother. If you help me, you would get your vengeance against the clan that wronged you so many times." Itachi coaxed.

"Why are you leaving your brother alive if you plan to kill everyone else?" Madara asked.

"Because…Sasuke is innocent. And one day, he will wipe the slate clean by killing me, and rebuilding the Uchiha Clan as it once was and is destined to be." Itachi said.

"Heh…sentiment and love…two things that no matter how long you are a ninja can never be wiped out from you if you had them… Very well, Itachi Uchiha. I agree to your proposal. Together, we will kill off the entire Uchiha Cla, excepting your brother. When you wish to do it, send me a message." Madara said before using a Jikūkan Ninjutsu of some sort to simply…disappear.

Flashback Kai

"Well…time to do it, yes?" Madara asked, standing up straight as he did.

"Yes…" Itachi said with a heavy heart.

"Ah, come now Itachi. Do not be so downhearted. It will soon be over." Madara said almost comfortingly.

"No…it will never be over for me. I will live my entire life with the knowledge that I killed my entire family." Itachi replied sadly.

"Not your entire family…" Madara said.

"Hai…but the next time I will see the last of it…will be when he kills me…" Itachi retorted.

"Enough talk, let's do this." Madara said with no small amount of relish in his voice. Itachi nodded, and in unison they jumped into the roof of the first house and silently went in through the window.

About an hour later

Sasuke was coming home late from training, and as he entered the clan compound, he noticed something odd. There were no sounds - -not the laughter of children, not the arguments of adults. And there was nobody in the streets – Sasuke knew that there were people in the clan with insomnia, and they had a tendency to walk around the compound sometimes, but tonight, he saw nobody. How odd…

Sasuke walked through the compound for a few moments, until he came across someone lying on the ground. He walked over to wake them up, but when he touched the person, they rolled over and Sasuke saw a gaping stab wound in his chest, from which blood was still leaking a bit.

"AAAAH!" Sasuke screamed, and started running towards his house, which was in the center of the compound. As he ran, he saw more and more dead bodies littering the streets of the compound – stabbed, beheaded, throats cut, sliced into pieces. If you were a moron, you could almost admire it. After a few moments he had reached his house, and was running inside, "Kaa-chan! Tou-san! Are you alright?"

Having run into his parents' room, he saw his brother standing in front of his father. Suddenly, Itachi pulled something away from his father, and Fugaku fell. At this, Sasuke saw what Itachi had pulled away – his tantō.

"Tou-san!" Sasuke cried running towards his father and cradling his head to his stomach, "Itachi? WHY?!"

"Foolish little brother. So, so foolish. I will tell you why, though you are too weak to do anything about it," Itachi said in his monotone, "I did it to test myself. The Uchiha Clan has grown weak with age: I alone am powerful. I sought to test that power, and to kill to birds with one stone, I eliminated all those Uchiha that were weak and not worthy of their name."

"Y-you! I hate you!" Sasuke cried.

"Foolish, weak little brother." Itachi said, grabbing Sasuke by the arm, "Come, let me show you how I killed our parents. Tsukuyomi."

Suddenly, the scene changed to Itachi entering their house, with Sasuke being an outsider looking in. He saw his mother, Mikoto Uchiha come out of the kitchen to greet Itachi with a smile on her face, when she noticed his tantō, stained crimson from the blood of his clan. A questioning, then horrified look came across her face, when suddenly Itachi blurred and appeared behind her, his tantō at her neck. Tears were streaming down Mikoto's face as Itachi swiftly pulled, and severed her jugular, causing her to fall to the ground and bleed out in seconds. Itachi stared at her body impassively for a few seconds before raising his sword, and swinging it, flicking the blood off of it, after which he turned and walked towards the stairs.

Having ascended, he went up to the room of his parents, and saw their father sitting away from the door, looking at a painting of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha's battle at the Valley of the End. Itachi appeared to say something and Fugaku stood up and faced the ANBU. He appeared to say something, and then closed his eyes and lowered his arms to his sides. Itachi raised his tantō, and rushing towards his father, stabbed him in the heart grabbing him by the head and leaning in to whisper something in his fathers' ear at the same time…

After this, Sasuke was surprised to see the scene shift to Itachi once again enter the house and redo the events of the previous few minutes again…and again…and again… for the next 3 days. When the nightmarish scene finally played for the last time, Sasuke was torn back to reality to find that nothing had changed, and that Itachi was standing in front of him holding his gaze.

"Why…why did you leave me alive? You killed everyone that I love, why leave me alive?" Sasuke asked, nearly in hysterics.

"I will tell you, little brother. I am leaving you alive precisely because I have killed all that you love – you are too pathetic to kill. I have killed everyone that you love, because they were worthy of death at my hands – you, on the other hand are not. Grow up, foolish brother. Grow strong and grow worthy. Thrive on your hate; use it to become powerful. Maybe then you will be worthy to fight me, and I will give you the chance to prove yourself before I kill you." Itachi said, turning away.

Sasuke tried to stand up, as suddenly he felt a pain in his eyes, and he fell to the ground silently crying tears of blood. When he got up after a few seconds, he had awakened the Sharingan. Sasuke however, was too mad with grief and rage to notice the fact that he could suddenly see much better, and drawing his kunai, he attempted to attack his brother. Itachi turned around, and saw his brother throw a kunai at him. Itachi did not move, but the kunai went a bit high, striking his hitai-ate, scratching it and knocking it off. Itachi looked at the fallen piece of steel and cloth for a second, before using Shunshin no Jutsu to get by his brother, and chopping him across the neck, knocking him out, before leaving the compound to go to the gate, where he was met by Madara.

"Time to go, yes?" Madara asked.

"Almost, I have something that I need to do first." Itachi said, turning towards the Hokage Tower.

"It is done, then?" Danzō asked, facing the wall.

"Yes. They are all dead, except my brother." Itachi replied, standing on the windowsill.

"Why is your brother still alive? The order was for all Uchiha to be killed – you disobeyed a direct order from your Hokage…" Danzō said in a monotone, yet managing to come across as threatening.

"My brother is innocent. He has not done anything wrong, and he can be used to rebuild the Uchiha Clan here in Konoha as loyal soldiers." Itachi explained.

"What is stopping me from simply killing your brother, and harvesting his genes to create a new clan…a clan of non-Uchiha's completely loyal and subservient to me?" Danzō asked in a monotone curiosity.

"Because…if you do, I am going to reveal every secret of Konoha to every village in the world. I will air all of Konoha's dirty laundry to anyone who wants to listen – I would wager Kumo and Iwa would be VERY interested…" Itachi said in his monotone, growling slightly at the end of his speech.

"Very well Itachi. Continue the plan as we decided, and contact me every 2 months or so. Dismissed." Danzō ordered, turning around to face the wall again.

"Understood." Itachi said, leaping from the windowsill before dispelling in midair, transforming into a multitude of crows.

"Let's go." Itachi said, appearing next to Madara, and they left through the Konoha Gate to his next mission – a long-term assignment to spy on Akatsuki. Itachi turned towards Konoha one last time, before catching up with Madara.

_"Sasuke…grow strong…avenge the Uchiha Clan, make them strong again, and rebuild us as we were meant…loyal to Konohagakure no Sato…"_

**A/N: So, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I am sorry that it took so long to write it… Now, some of you might be upset that I have killed off yet ANOTHER character. But…was Hiashi ever really that important in canon? No…he wasn't. But, once again, don't worry; they are not gone for good. Anyway, welcome to a feature that I will try to include in every chapter of every story I write – Fanfic Rant! In this feature, I am going to rant about something about fanfiction that I DESPISE. Today's edition…the Civilian Council!**

**The Civilian Council – a term used so often, that it is practically canon. It is often used as a story catalyst. There are two main ways they are portrayed, with one sub-way… weird use of the word.**

**1.) The Civilian Council banishes Naruto after the Battle at the Valley of the End for hurting Sasuke, supposedly overriding the will of the Hokage… **

**BULLSHIT! **

**Even if the Civilian Council existed, HOW THE FUCK COULD IT OVERRIDE THE WILL OF THE FUCKING HOKAGE!? THE HOKAGE IS A FUCKING MILITARY DICTATOR!... Sorry, I just REALLY hate this plot point. See here's the thing – the Hokage is not an elected official, he is chosen by the previous Hokage. In fact, one more thing – when the Sandaime died, the Daimyō of Hi no Kuni was the one who was making the decision of who would be the next Hokage. And after Tsunade came to Konoha, the advisory council, Homura and Koharu approved Tsunade becoming the Godaime.**

**1.5.) The other manner in which the council is portrayed close to this way is when they choose to depose Tsunade and elect Danzō as Hokage….once again…BULLSHIT! How the hell could a council depose the military leader of a village, considering they never even ELECTED said leader?**

**2.) The second manner in which the council is portrayed is when they constantly call Naruto in to talk to them, insult him, and try to basically fuck with him as much as possible…ok…here's the thing: in and of itself, this is not a TERRIBLE idea. Mind you, it's overused, but it is not terrible. It can be used to great effect to provide a tragic backstory for Naruto to make him grow up to be a darker character. However, here's the thing – it's used too much, and always in the same manner. Civilian Council bitches, Sakura's mother screams, Hokage says "STFU." Btw, why does everybody seem to think that Sakura's mother is on the Civilian Council? I never got that… Anyway, the problem is the Civilian Council is always portrayed as being traitorous, fat, idiots. It gets a bit annoying reading the same scene so many fucking times, just with different names. So, it's doubtful if you will ever see a scene like that from me.**

**One last thing – the Civilian Council is COMPLETELY Fanon – it never existed in the Naruto Universe. The only council is the advisory council – Homura and Koharu, who have no real power. The only reason I include a Clan Council, was because I thought it made sense – that way, the council can bring up inter-clan issues for the Hokage to arbitrate. But, other than that, the council has NO power.**

**Anyway, that's it for this chapter folks. I hope you liked it, and please review and critique, but I want to say one thing before this is all over. I am writing this story for you guys, but also for myself, so if you don't like something, tell me. But, tell me what you would like changed, so that I can see if that works better than my original idea. But, if you want me to cater to your guys' desires, let me say straight up, not happening. I am writing this for my enjoyment – if it is being read, that is the icing on the cake, no more.**

**Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: So…I've been writing this chapter for like a month, writing and rewriting as I tried to write the characters in a manner that would befit their future. However, at one point I finally realized the problem – I could not see where this story was going. I have the next 3-4 chapters sorta planned out, but after that I have the bare minimum of an idea. So…after this chapter the story is going on a very extended hiatus. IDK whether I will ever return to this story or not, so anyone who wants to adopt this story, they can if they want to. The one condition is that they please keep the same basic idea of Naruto in Iwa, and make him a magnificent bastard.**

**I own nothing but a computer and an overactive imagination!**

_Thoughts_

Speech

Kurotsuchi was confused. Why had her grandfather, Ōnōki, the Tsuchikage of Iwa, seemed so urgent the day before when he told her to come in? Was something wrong? Had she done something wrong? Had she gotten caught for doing something she had done? All these thoughts were running through her head as she knocked on the door of her grandfather's office.

"Enter." a voice came from inside the room. Kurotsuchi waited a few seconds, and opened the door.

"You called, Grandfather?" Kurotsuchi said respectfully.

The Tsuchikage, raised his head up from his paperwork. He stared at her for a few moments, as if he was judging her. "Yes, Kurotsuchi. I have a mission for you – a very important mission." He replied. "You…are to enter the Chūnin Exams that are to be held in Konoha in a little under a month. A team will be provided for you. You will arrive early, and find out as much about the village as you can."

Kurotsuchi gazed at her grandfather and leader for a few seconds. "With all due respect, have you gone FUCKING insane?!" She nearly shouted at Ōnōki. "I am a chūnin already! Why the hell would I do this?!"

Ōnōki glared at his granddaughter for a few seconds. "The first reason, is that I am your leader, and I, being FUCKING insane, might just send you on a suicide mission if you do not stop getting on my nerves!"

"I apologize, grandfather." Kurotsuchi replied humbly, sufficiently cowed.

"The second reason is that you are the only person that I can trust this mission to – I know perfectly well that you are beyond the level of almost anyone that is at that exam, and that is precisely why I am sending you. Your mission is to enter, and win the Chūnin Exams with your team."

"But why, Oji-sama?" Kurotsuchi asked in confusion.

Ōnōki stood up and went up to his window and gazed out at his village. "In the last 12 years, we have not had any knowledge of what exactly is happening inside Konoha – we do not know how strong their ninja are, we do not know how many ninja they have, we do not even really know the infrastructure of the village. THAT is why I need you to go to Konoha – we need to know at least a LITTLE of what is going on in there."

"What about our spy network, Oji-san?" Kurotsuchi asked.

The Tsuchikage snorted. "Seven years ago, that might've worked. But, since Danzō became Hokage, he has destroyed every vestige of the spy network we had in that village. Mind you, they did not give up any secrets, they all activated the Shi no Fū before Danzō could get anything from them, but still."

Kurotsuchi sighed. "So, you want me to go to Konoha, and find out as much as possible about them. That is the reason, I am guessing, you want me to win the exams, correct? So that I have as much time as possible to gather info."

"Yes." The Tsuchikage replied. Kurotsuchi sighed.

"Who is going to be on my team then?" She asked.

"The first member of your team will be Toko Furagasa." her grandfather replied.

"Oh, that's good. We were team members when we were Genin, our teamwork should be pretty good. Who is the other member of the team? Kabu Gukosaki?" Kurotsuchi asked in hope, thinking of her other team member.

"No, Kabu is not strong enough." The Tsuchikage said.

"What!? Kabu is a Chūnin! He should be plenty strong enough to take out any of those tree-hugger wimps!" Kurotsuchi yelled in outrage.

"Kurotsuchi…you are pushing the boundaries of my patience. One more outburst like that, and I will assign you D-Rank missions for a YEAR! Starting with catching the Earth Daimyō's Wife's dog!" Ōnoki shouted.

The thought of catching that damn mutt, who could sometimes evade ANBU when it wanted to, and had EXTREMELY sharp teeth coupled with a really bad attitude was enough to scare Kurotsuchi into silence.

"Now, the reason I am not sending Kabu, is because despite the fact that he is a Chūnin, he may not be strong enough to face Konoha's Genin – you have heard of Danzō, the man has probably uprooted and redesigned the training system for their Genin entirely, so it is entirely possible that Kabu may not be able to take them on. Face it, the only reason he became a Chūnin is because you helped him every step of the way – the boy has no real talent." Ōnōki explained patiently, "As such, I am going to assign a different person to your team. Trust me, he is MUCH better than Kabu."

Kurotsuchi sighed, "Alright Jiji, who are you giving me?" She asked.

"His name's Masamune Jishin. He lives on Kumo Mountain (Spider Mountain), but he is constantly moving around on there, so you may have to search for him for a while." the Tsuchikage said, while smirking on the inside.

"Fine, when do you want me to meet the bastard?" Kurotsuchi asked.

"How about now?" the Tsuchikage asked. Kurotsuchi thought about it for a second, before shrugging and using the Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique) to leave the office via the window.

"Why the hell does everyone always use the window? Is the door not good enough for them?" Ōnōki grumbled.

As Kurotsuchi jumped from roof to roof, heading towards the Kumo Mountain – one of the largest and most dangerous mountains in Tsuchi no Kuni…

One Day Later

Kurotsuchi had been searching for Masamune for over seven hours, but had seen neither hide nor hair of the aforementioned person.

"Kami damn it! Where the fuck is this shitstain?!" She screamed to the heavens. Suddenly, she heard a soft sound, almost like music. She followed the noise, until she came across a clearing with a boy sitting in it in the lotus position, eyes closed and playing a shinobue. She looked at the boy, taking in what he looked like. He had long white hair, tied with a ribbon in the back with two strands hanging down his face, and suntanned skin with three whisker-shaped marks on either side of his nose and mouth. He wore black loose pants and a long white flowing shirt with red dragons sewn into it. He continued to play, ignoring the interloper. For a few minutes Kurotsuchi was entranced, and silently listened to the masterful performance of the stranger.

However, after a while, Kurotsuchi's impatient nature got the best of her, and she cleared her throat, trying to get the attention of the boy. Having done so a few times, she received no reaction. Getting angry, she stomped up to the boy, and tried to punch him in the face. However, he bent backwards without reacting at all and continued playing. Kurotsuchi got pissed off and leaped away, before rushing at the boy.

He stood up without opening his eyes and kept playing his shinobue putting one foot in front of the other and crouching slightly. Kurotsuchi narrowed her eyes, and in a sudden burst of speed appeared in front of him, flinging out her fist to punch him, when he suddenly leaped into the air. Kurotsuchi widened her eyes in surprise, and forgot to pull her fist back. The boy landed on the outstretched arm without moving it at all. Kurotsuchi gazed in shock and slowly moved her eyes up from his feet up to his head, where she saw that the boy had moved the shinobue from his mouth and had opened his eyes. She saw him gaze at her emotionlessly before a tiny smirk grew on his face and he did a back flip off of her hand, which had the side effect of kicking Kurotsuchi in the face, launching her several feet away, causing her to crash into a rock, while he gracefully landed on the balls of his feet, bringing his shinobue up to his lips and starting to play the tune again. Kurotsuchi groaned, and got to her feet.

"Would I be correct in assuming that you are one Kurotsuchi Jisuberi, granddaughter of Ōnōki Jisuberi, Tsuchikage of Iwagakure no Sato?" The boy asked in a monotone after ceasing to play.

"Yes. And I guess you are Masamune Jishin?" She said, rubbing her stomach. She got a nod in reply.

"I have received a note from Tsuchikage-sama about the details of my mission. I am perfectly to defer to you in regards to seniority. I am at your command, Kurotsuchi-san." Masamune said in the same monotone starting to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Kurotsuchi asked in confusion.

"It is my opinion that at this point in time, it is too late to return to Iwagakure, and it would be the better choice to rest for the rest of the day and night, so as to be at optimum strength in order to travel early tomorrow morning." Masamune explained. Kurotsuchi considered this for a few seconds before acknowledging that it was a good idea. She then proceeded to follow him as he led her through a series of turns, eventually ending up at a campsite, with two tents already set up and wood for a fire stacked.

As the two turned in for the night, Kurotsuchi thought about how badly she had gotten beaten, and cursed her grandfather for tricking her into this. After pondering on her weakness for about thirty minutes, before falling asleep.

The next morning Kurotsuchi woke up early to find Masamune tending to the fire, heating up some soup.

"Good morning!" She said cheerfully. Masamune turned to look at her for a second, before answering, "What do you mean?" he said. "Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?"

Kurotsuchi looked at him in confusion for a few seconds before shrugging and replying, "All of them at once, I suppose…"

Masamune merely hmmm'd, before going back to cooking. Kurotsuchi sat down, and for the next hour or so, they sat in silence as Masamune finished cooking, and they began to eat. Soon, Masamune finished eating and began to play his shinobue again. Kurotsuchi continued eating, and every once in a while she would look up at Masamune, before quickly looking down again.

"You are afraid of me." Masamune said, ceasing to play.

"N-no! Why would I be?" Kurotsuchi denied vehemently.

"Because you are an intelligent woman, and only a fool would not fear me after I defeated you in the manner I did. How do I know that you are an intelligent? Simple extrapolation. You were raised by Ryōtenbin no Ōnōki, a man well known for being exceedingly stubborn, but also extremely clever and highly intelligent. He would not raise a fool for a child, especially considering that it is widely believed that you will become Tsuchikage at some point." Masamune explained.

"Alright, I am afraid of you. You got something to say abut that?" Kurotsuchi said with anger belying the fear she had just admitted.

"Yes. Despite the fact that it is logical for you to be afraid of me, it is also incorrect." Masamune stated.

"I…do not understand." Kurotsuchi stated in confusion, "Why shouldn't I be afraid of you?"

"Because during our fight, I had 483 chances to permanently end your existence." He stated.

"And that is a reason for me to NOT be afraid of you?" Kurotsuchi bit out.

"I did not take a single one of them." Masamune said. Kurotsuchi gaped at him for a few seconds, before thinking about it, and agreeing with him. Masamune HADN'T dealt a single dangerous, or even mildly dangerous wound during the entire duration of their fight.

"I see that you have understood what I mean, Kurotsuchi-san." Masamune said, in his creepy monotone. Kurotsuchi stared at him for a few seconds, before shrugging and going back to her food. After they finished, Masamune went into his tent, retrieving a massive scroll, about the size of his entire body. As he unrolled it, Kurotsuchi saw that there were many containment seal on it, into which Masamune sealed the tents and other equipment. She gaped in amazement as he slung it across his shoulders, with it hanging perpendicular to his torso.

"Ready to go?" She asked when he finished.

"Yes, Kurotsuchi-san. Would you like to lead, or would you prefer if I did? I believe I know a few shortcuts." Masamune deadpanned. Kurotsuchi thought about it for a few seconds, before replying.

"If you know shortcuts, then lead the way." Masamune nodded and warning her:

"I must warn you, I travel quickly. If you cannot keep up, then please inform me and I will slow down." Kurotsuchi bristled with anger, before snapping at him.

"Trust me, I won't slow you down!" Masamune nodded in a conciliatory manner, before leaping onto a tree, and beginning to jump from branch to branch. Kurotsuchi started in surprise, before following and jumping after him.

Soon after starting, Kurotsuchi understood that the constant speed of Masamune was her top speed, one that she could not maintain for long. However, she gritted her teeth and tried to carry on. However, after about two hours she began to run on steam and slow down. Masamune noticed, and accordingly changed his pace to suit her needs. Kurotsuchi, however, noticed.

"Don't fucking pity me! I don't fucking need it! Go back to your goddamn normal pace!" Kurotsuchi yelled at him.

"Kurotsuchi-san, I could care less about your pride. It means less to me than your fear or your anger. However, it would not do for us to lose time if you expend the last of your energy in a pointless display of bravado, and for you to fall. If you do fall, I will have to carry you, and that will cause us to lose time. As such, it is your decision. We either decrease our pace, or we stop entirely. It is entirely your choice." Masamune stated without breaking his monotone at all. Kurotsuchi gritted her teeth, and slowed down to a speed that she could manage. Masamune nodded, and followed her example.

Within a few hours, they had gotten about halfway to Iwa, and it was getting to be about seven o'clock, judging by the sun.

"We will stop here for now." Masamune stated.

"Why? I can keep going. I told you, I don't need your pity!" Kurotsuchi snapped at him.

"It has nothing to do with pity, and everything to do with reason. It is currently approaching dusk, and we are merely halfway to our destination. We have already been travelling for seven hours, and being as we have another seven hours to travel, we will reach Iwagakure past midnight." Masamune began to explain, "This would be uncomfortable for the both of us, seeing as we have orders to report to Tsuchikage-sama the moment we reach the village, and I do not believe he will appreciate being awoken at such an hour. As such, we will stop here, and now."

Kurotsuchi glared at him for a few seconds, before grudgingly agreeing with him. As they stopped and started to set up camp, Masamune took off his scroll, and unrolled it slightly to reveal a seal, from which he took out two rolled up tents, and a few utensils for cooking. As Kurotsuchi started to gather wood for a fire, he began to set up the tents.

Having finished setting up the tents, he began to take out various dried foods and implements for cooking, right as Kurotsuchi finished gathering wood and started making a fire. Silently, Masamune began to cook a stew. Soon, a delicious smell began to rise from the pot, and Kurotsuchi's mouth began to water. She reached out her hand and grabbed a spoon, and attempted to scoop up some stew while Masamune wasn't looking. Suddenly, his hand streaked out and slapped her on the wrist without him turning around.

"Ouch!" Kurotsuchi said, rubbing her smarting wrist, "That hurt!"

Soon after, the food was finished, and they sat and started to eat. Masamune finished first and took out his shinobue and began to play a haunting melody. However, he stopped after a few minutes, and shook his head.

"Why'd you stop? It was beautiful!" Kurotsuchi protested.

"It is incorrect, nevertheless." Masamune replied, before unsealing a shamisen, and making a snake handsign, "Doton: Kage Bunshin! (Earth Release: Shadow Clone)" he stated, as the mud around their feet rose up and formed a copy of the boy who quickly picked up the shamisen, and the two began to play the melody in tandem. Kurotsuchi was struck, and sat there entranced; listening as the pair masterfully wove a tapestry of sound, and as she listened, she saw and imagined. What she saw, she would never later be able to explain, for the images were fleeting, and not fully formed. However, she would later tell that while listening, she felt a profound sense of grief and loss. She listened to him for almost an hour, and before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.

The next morning, Kurotsuchi woke up to the smell of food cooking and Naruto playing a jaunty tune on his shinobue. She yawned and stretched, and got up to see that the sun had just arisen, and the food was almost ready.

"Mmmmm, smells delicious!" Kurotsuchi said appreciatively, "Where DID you learn to cook, anyway?"

"When one lives alone, one learns to survive. That includes cooking, and playing instruments." Masamune answered. The last one had Kurotsuchi confused.

"Playing instruments?" Kurotsuchi asked.

"Yes. When one lives alone on a mountain for a long period of time, one needs a way to entertain oneself. Mine was music. Music helped me to feel emotions that one does not feel when one is alone at all times." Masamune explained. Kurotsuchi was silent for a few moments, before replying,

"Anyway, when's the food going to be ready?"

"Soon, Kurotsuchi-san. Please remain patient." Was the only response she got, after which Masamune went back to playing. Soon, the food was ready, and Kurotsuchi began to eat. Masamune, on the other hand, had not.

Kurotsuchi looked at him askance, "Are you not eating?" she asked.

Masamune shook his head, "I do not currently feel hunger."

Kurotsuchi merely shrugged, before finishing her breakfast.

"Being as I cooked, you will clean." Masamune said, standing up.

"What!? That's not fair, don't I get a choice?" Kurotsuchi protested.

"No, you do not." Masamune raised his eyebrow, before suddenly jerking his head to the right, "Get down!" as an arrow buried itself in a tree trunk just above her head. Masamune leaped at the direction of the arrows origin and from there, Kurotsuchi heard the sound of a scuffle, before an armored man flew out of there, and crashed into the ground a few meters away from her.

Masamune leapt out after the body, and landed a few feet away.

Kurotsuchi scrambled to her feet "Who is he?"

"A rōnin. A samurai, formerly in the service of the Daimyō no Tsuchi no Kuni, but now merely wandering the world. Either left, or was expelled for some reason." Masamune answered, while gazing at the man lying at his feet.

"Heh, you are smart, _ninja. _Yes, I am a rōnin, formerly in the service of Daimyō-sama. I left, because I failed to prevent an assassin from getting into the Daimyō's rooms. He was prevented from hurting Daimyō-sama, of course, but I failed nonetheless. I attempted to perform seppuku, but Daimyō-sama would not let me." The samurai coughed, propping himself up on his sword.

"In any case, why did you attack us?" Masamune came closer to the kneeling samurai.

"I was hungry, and I smelled food. I would appreciate some, if you could give it." The samurai replied.

"Considering the fact, that you just attacked us, I am disinclined to give you what you want." Masamune stated.

"What…a shame!" the rōnin lunged at Masamune, who dodged, and leapt away, before pulling the scroll off of his back, and unrolling it. He then bit his finger, and applied some blood to a seal, causing a katana to fly out, which Masamune caught by the hilt.

"Ah, the fabled Kuraitsume. Didn't think I would get to see something so legendary in my lifetime…" the samurai noticed appreciatively.

_"Kuraitsume? Is that the name of that sword?" _Kurotsuchi thought.

"You are only going to see it once." Masamune stated, as he took a battle stance, holding his sword in with both hands in front of him, and with his right foot behind him. They stood there for a few moments, before at once they rushed at each other, and their blades crossed. They stood there with locked blades for a few seconds, before Kurotsuchi noticed that Kazenoikari was cutting into the blade of the unnamed rōnin. Said rōnin jumped away just as she noticed, and turned his katana to look at nick in his sword.

"This truly is the Kuraitsume… To be able to cut into a finely made katana like mine with such ease, your sword truly is a marvel." the rōnin panted. Masamune said nothing, and started to make hand seals. Horse, Dog, Dragon, Hare, Ram, Monkey, Horse, and at that point Kurotsuchi lost him.

"Fūton: Senjin (Wind Release: Thousand Blades)!" Masamune yelled out, breathing out hundreds of foot-long blades of wind, which sped at the downed rōnin. Said rōnin was able to dodge quite a few of the blades, but he was unable to avoid all of them, and was hit, causing him to stumble and fall. Masamune, seeing his adversary's weakness, advanced upon him.

"Please…please, don't kill me. I-I won't bother you again, I was just hungry!" The rōnin pleaded with the boy. Masamune said nothing, and merely continued to walk towards the former samurai. The fallen man attempted to backpedal away from Masamune, and get away from his certain death.

Masamune, however, continued advancing inexorably. Soon, he had overtaken the rōnin, and put his foot on the rōnin's chest. Slowly, he leaned in towards the rōnin's face, while slowly making hand seals, "I…will free you. Accept death, and shed this mortal coil. Be free… Raiton: Sokushi (Lightning Release: Instant Death)…" he whispered, placing two fingers on the rōnin's chest, as a pulse of electricity left his fingers and stopped the man's heart within a matter of seconds. The boy did not move for a few seconds, before slowly standing up and walking away. Kurotsuchi stared at him for a few seconds, before walking up to the dead samurai.

She made the snake hand seal, before, "Doton: Maisō Ana! (Earth Release: Burial Hole)" she shouted, before slamming her hands into the ground, creating a man-sized hole in the ground and throwing the dead man into it. "Doton: Maisō (Earth Release: Burial)" she shouted, causing the earth she removed to create the hole to cover the dead man. Having buried the rōnin, she went to talk to Masamune, who was packing up the camp.

"A-are you ok?" she asked him.

"Why would I not be?" Masamune asked in confusion.

"Well, you DID just kill a man…" she said slowly.

"In a manner of speaking, yes, I did." Masamune admitted.

"What do you mean, in a manner of speaking? You killed him!" Kurotsuchi said in confusion.

"From a certain perspective, I killed him. From another, I freed him, and I freed the world." Masamune stated, continuing to pack up the camp.

"The world? How did you free the world?" Kurotsuchi asked in bewilderment.

"This man was a rōnin, a disgraced samurai. He had skills, and he had abilities, and yet he chose to become a bandit. This was a man who had no willpower, and chose to take the easy way out to use his abilities to kill and rob people. I freed the world from a dangerous parasite that has harmed people for no other reason, than to continue his own miserable existence." Masamune explained in his creepy monotone.

"How did you free him then?" Kurotsuchi challenged.

"The man was pathetic and sad and weak. He was shackled by his own weakness, and could not advance at all due to his lack of will. I freed him by sending him to the Pure World, where there are no problems for him. There, people are the same, and no one is above anyone else, for all are equal and free in Death." Masamune finished explaining, just as he finished packing up. "Now, let's go. If we maintain a constant speed, we should be able to reach Iwa by midday."

Iwa, several hours later

Kurotsuchi was glaring at her grandfather, while Masamune sat and played his flute. Ōnōki on the other hand, was fully enjoying the situation, filling out paperwork, pretending that his granddaughter and the boy he sent her to retrieve were not sitting right in front of him. A few minutes is, Kurotsuchi cleared her throat, and Ōnōki looked up.

"Ah, there you are!" A murderous look flashed in Kurotsuchi's eyes.

"Yes, here we are! We've been waiting for several minutes!" she complained.

Ōnōki stood up and walked towards the two 12-year olds. "Patience is a virtue." He admonished, "Now, I assume that the both of you are aware as to the reason I recalled Masamune?"

Said boy said nothing and continued to play for a few moments before finishing the song and replying, "You wish for us to participate in the upcoming Chūnin Exams that are to be held in Konohagakure no Sato. Our mission is two-part. You wish for us to obtain as much information about the village as we can, including their infrastructure, and the strength of their ninja. Also, you want us to win the Chūnin Exams, so as show off the strength of Iwa."

Kurotsuchi was dumbstruck, "H-how did you know!? I didn't tell you a single thing!"

Masamune merely shook his head, "It was guesswork and extrapolation, until you confirmed it for me just now. I assumed that, being as Danzō took over Konoha, we would get almost no information about Konoha during his tenure as Hokage. He would be very unlikely to allow very many spies into Konoha, so we would need a legitimate way to get into Konoha so as to get information. Considering that I recall the fact that the Chūnin Exams are about to happen in Konoha, it would make sense for you to send us to said Exams in order to gain the information that we have not been getting over the past few years."

Ōnōki shook his head and chuckled. "Kurotsuchi, you must get used to the fact that Masamune is a genius. He will take the barest scraps of information, and be able to understand completely the motives of the person releasing that information. However, I am curious as to how you knew about the second part of the mission. Would you indulge an old man and explain?"

Masamune nodded, "This is the more simple part of the mission. Konoha and Iwa have never had the best of relations, and it is only recently that we decided to even attend a Chūnin Exam held in Konoha. Despite the fact that we are not outright at war, Iwa and Konoha seek to one-up each other whenever they can. It has reached a point that often, if Konoha is selected for an important mission, the customer's rivals hire shinobi from Iwa. So, it would only make sense that if we were sent to Konoha, it would greatly benefit Iwa if we defeated Konoha, especially considering that the "Last Loyal Uchiha" will most probably be competing in the Exams, and it would look very good for us if we defeated him."

Ōnōki merely shook his head, while Kurotsuchi gaped at him in awe. "That's…that's incredible!"

Masamune shook his head, "No, merely logic."

Ōnōki turned to Masamune, "You may go now, Masamune. I wish to talk to my granddaughter alone." Masamune bowed, and used the Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique) to leave the office.

Kurotsuchi turned to her grandfather, "Jiji, this guy is amazing! He's a genius, and he is a brilliant fighter! He defeated me using only taijutsu and genjutsu, and I did not even detect the genjutsu!" she gushed.

Ōnōki sighed and looked at his granddaughter with a serious expression on his face. "Kurotsuchi, you need to listen to me right now. Do not become friends with Masamune. Do not become close to Masamune, and most important of all, do not fall in love with Masamune."

Kurotsuchi's mouth dropped. "Jiji!? Considering that we are going to be on a team, it would kinda make sense that we get at least a little close, so that we have good team chemistry! It does not mean that we are going to fall in love!"

Ōnōki shook his head in frustration, and stood up. "Kurotsuchi, listen to me. Masamune is dangerous, and not just because he can kill you. Even if you care about him, he does not care about you. He does not care about anything. All he cares about is serving Iwa."

"Well, why is he so messed up then?" Kurotsuchi demanded.

Ōnōki sighed, and sat back down, covering his face with his hands. "Because of one of the most shameful things I have ever done…"

**AN: So, cya guys later, maybe. I have an idea for another story, which is lighter and is Fairy Tail-centric. So, I might write it if I decide to. Meanwhile, once again, if any of you want to write this story, PM me and I will probably give it to you. On the condition that if I ever want to, I can return to it. Cya guys!**


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